For quite some time the CIA bogey has been kept alive in this country.
This is blown up beyond all proportions whenever inconvenient things happen
to the ruling party or for that matter those in authority. Citizens, opposition
parties and voluntary organisations who are critical of the rulers are
dubbed as CIA agents.

There is no denying the fact that the Central Intelligence Agency of
the United States of America has been instrumental in the most heinous
crimes all over the world. Their games of destabilisation of democratically
elected governments and political maneuvering in the internal affairs
of independent countries to suit the US interests are well known. Thus
CIA is a hated organisation; its name itself despised. This is more or
less true of all intelligence agencies of foreign powers, including KGB.

Fortunately, for us, those who have pioneered the civil liberties and
human rights movement in India have been women and men of impeccable integrity.
Those who are leading the movement today are also behind none in their
commitment to the independence of the country and the welfare of its people.
It may be recalled here that, today as far as the PUCL is concerned, neither
it accepts financial assistance from any foreign agency not it is linked
with any foreign organisation.

The Services the PUCL and its sister organisations have rendered for
upholding the liberties and basic rights of the people in India for the
last several years have been highly acclaimed by people from all walks
of life. For example, according to Lt. General J. S. Aurora (Retd.) it
was the report of the PUCL and PUDR (Who
are the Guilty?) on the November 1984 riots, that reestablished our
faith in the secular India. PUCL champions the cause of the lowest of
the low when their legitimate rights are threatened. For instance, Bombay
PUCL's intervention in that pavement dwellers' case has attracted attention
of all those who value the rights of the poor. In Delhi recently the PUCL
successfully fought the case of Mr. Khilanand Jha and family from Bihar.
The PUCL (Delhi) has been championing the cause of unorganised sector
of labour. There are numerous cases of similar activities all over the
country led by PUCL and other similar organisations. In short, people
in distress look upto civil liberties movements with hope.

The ruling party has been straining every nerve to publicise that PUCL
has CIA connections with the sole aim of discrediting the PUCL. Perhaps,
vested interests within the government by linking such a hated organisation
like CIA to an organisation like the PUCL want to give credibility to
CIA itself? Those who make wild charges against Human Rights organisations
must realise what they are talking about; otherwise unwittingly they are
playing the CIA tune. It is significant to note that our people have not
heeded to the utterances of Congress (I) leaders. The enormous support
and sympathy PUCL has received from many unexpected quarters prove that
the calculated attempt of the ruling party has misfired. The number of
readers letters appeared in national newspapers defending PUCL was amazing.